Scream (2022) Review

Scream is an interesting franchise to me. It’s not one of those horror/slasher series that have continuously been shoved down our throats over the years, like Friday the 13th or Halloween at their height. There have only been four entries previous to this one; the last was in 2011. Many people, including myself, have a soft spot for the series. It’s tough to reboot a series or develop a sequel to something with such a passionate fan base. Scream (2022) manages to pull off the “requel” much better than expected with a bloody and very meta outing that leaves the door open for the future of the series, even if it probably should have put a bow on it.

Story

We return to Woodsboro, and it’s not long before we’re introduced to the Ghostface killer and some gory bloodshed. Scream takes the violence to another level. This is a cold, calculated killer who is more intelligent than ever and ready to take out every victim systematically. There’s an early scene where the victim arms her smart security system to ensure her safety. Moments later, the killer hacks the system and unlocks every lock in her home (as a smart home enthusiast, this hit home as one of my worst fears). There weren’t many traditional cliché horror movie moments where the victim does something stupid to ensure their demise (although there were a few). Ghostface worked for their kills and was trickier and more gruesome than ever.

New Characters

The plot of Scream (2022) picks up 11 years after the events of Scream 4. The Carpenter sisters, played by Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega, make up the central part of the new cast. The two were a very likable duo that was easy to root for as protagonists, as Tara (Ortega) is stalked by Ghostface, bringing Sam (Barerra) and her boyfriend Richie Kirsch (Jack Quaid) back to Woodsboro to protect her. Much like in previous movies, the entire group of friends is there to bring a stop to the violence. This includes the Meeks-Martin twins, who provide a lot of comedic relief, especially Jasmin Savoy Brown, who plays Mindy. She mimics the mannerisms of her uncle Randy Meeks (who taught everyone the rules of a horror movie in the original Scream) with great precision. Dylan Minette of ’13 Reasons Why’ fame plays Wes Hicks, the son of Judy from Scream 3, while Mikey Madison plays the attitudinal Amber Freeman. The new portion of the cast is solid, and their dialogue is well-written, especially for a slasher film. There wasn’t a single character that felt out of place or forgettable.

Returning Characters

It wouldn’t be a Scream without the three prominent faces of the franchise, and that’s where Courteney Cox as Gail Weathers, David Arquette as Dewey Riley, and Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott come back into the picture. It was a bit of a surprise that all three of these characters came in more of a supporting role than I might have expected. Sidney wasn’t as much of a returning hero as I thought she might be, although her appearance was a nice bridge to the new generation of characters. Dewey was one of the characters that seemed to have the most development in this movie, ending up in a trailer in the middle of nowhere, trying to forget the events of his past before lending his help to end the killings. I won’t spoil who lived or died, if any of them even did, but I will say that this movie seemed to set up a future where these three characters might not be necessary to push the narrative forward, which was much needed as we hit the 25th anniversary of the first film.

The Requel

I loved the portion of the movie where Mindy discussed how film fans can’t stand complete reboots of a franchise, so studios have to disguise them as sequels to cater to the fanbase. A requel. It’s hilarious to me. That’s precisely what Scream (2022) is, which isn’t a problem because that is the best way to create a new entry in a dormant franchise. My one issue with this methodology is that Scream 4 was a similar film in that way, but after 11 years, it’s to be expected. The film contains meta-references about the fictional Stab movies and various horror franchises, including The Babadook and Hereditary. This is something that Scream has been doing well since the original, and it’s at its best here.

The Future

I mentioned that the door was left open for the future of the series, even though it should probably end after this movie, so allow me to explain. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie from start to finish. It was fun trying to unravel the mystery of the killer, but they kept me guessing at every turn. My problem is that I don’t know what more this series can do to make it feel fresh. Films like Halloween and others have had numerous entries because they continually take the series in new (for better or worse) directions or remake and expand on existing entries. I don’t feel like Scream can do that. This has largely been the same film five different times now; there’s not much more you can do with the idea other than having two new killers every time for a new whodunnit. It can be done, but how long will audiences care? I hope they continue the franchise, as it is one of my favorite franchises. However, I also hope that it doesn’t become watered down, like so many classic franchises have.

Final Thoughts

Scream (2022) was a pleasant surprise to me. It was an enjoyable film from start to finish, with many twists and turns and a boatload of references to the previous movies, including a few little Easter Eggs that you have to be attentive to spot. This movie left the series wide open to continue passing the torch to a new cast of characters or to end on a high note. Either way, it was a good fifth entry in the series, and any fan should check it out.